Saturday, 20 August 2016

Now before y'all go thinking I
spent all last week running around asking 'famous' people for interviews, I
didn't. For a start, I refrain from running unless absolutely necessary
(forest fire, bear, runaway driverless car). The Double D interview came
about as an idea to kill time during a long journey, plus it gave us a chance
to find out quite a lot more about him; this interview came about because
Dexter and Tom introduced me to Aaron on the Saturday after racing at
Portmarnock and kinda jokingly-not-jokingly suggested I interview him as well.

I'm the kinda person who says
'yes'. I like other people who say 'yes'. Life is too short to turn
down opportunities, and you never know where those opportunities may
lead. In fact, I say 'yes' to pretty much everything. As my dad
says, "you're a long time dead".

Anyway, I'm glad Aaron said 'yes'
when I asked him if he wouldn't mind being interviewed. Because, as it
turned out, it was one of the funniest parts of my entire weekend in
Ireland. This guy is an absolute hoot! Meet Aaron Merriman, from
Ohio, who has driven in excess of 8,000 winners and in 2015 was crowned North
America's leading driver. I don't think I need to give him much more of
an introduction than that!!

Enjoy!

For anybody who doesn't know you,
how long have you been involved in the sport and where did it all start?

I started driving when I was
21. My dad (Lanny Merriman) is a driver, but despite that I never
really wanted to be a driver growing up. I wanted to be an athlete, or a
basketball player. Or a mail man!

So my dad still drives, and we've
actually driven against each other. I learnt from him, although I have
more wins now. He does more on the training side. I trained for a
few years and liked it, but I'm driving so many horses that I don't have the
time to train right now.

Which is the best horse you've
ever driven?

I drove Foiled Again (Dragon
Again-In A Safe Place-Artsplace) once, that was probably what you'd class
as the best horse career-wise. But I've driven a lot of nice horses,
every time I win is like the best horse I've driven at that moment because it's
given me the win. I just want to win, I'm a complete pyscho about
winning!

I'm driving a horse called
Tamarind (Angus Hall-Spicegirl Kosmos-S Js Photo) at the moment, he's
little and really, really tough. You can drive him bad and he'll still
race good. The horse likes me so I like him more! Midnight Jewel (Keystone
Raider-Anorexia-Dream Maker) kinda got my career going, she won 25 races in
Open company in one year.

Which horse, past or present that
you haven't driven, would you like to drive and why?

Greyhound (Guy
Abbey-Elizabeth-Peter The Great), because of my love for trotters. He
was a freak. Imagine how he would go now with all the improvements in
equipment etc. A horse like him would be awesome. I'd just like to
see him race today, with all that evolution in technology and everything else.

Greyhound was, and still is, a legend
amongst many harness racing enthusiasts. Born in 1932, the grey trotter
won the Hambletonion in 1935 and in 1938 lowered the mile record for trotters
to 1.55¼. The record stood until 1969.

Do you prefer driving trotters or
pacers?

I like both. I like
trotters better; I've grown to love driving them. Pacers are faster and
when you're younger they're easier to drive because they've hopples to help you
but driving a good trotter is the best feeling, you can't beat it. It's
unsurpassed.

I really like driving horses for
the first time. You get to know each other.

Who did, or do, you admire as a
driver?

Of course I admire my father as
he taught me and brought me up the right way from the first stage. He's
always there with constructive criticism. He's won a couple of thousand
races, he's a good horseman and I've learnt a lot from him.

I also admire some of my peers,
which has been great to have been able to race againstthem. In
particular Ronnie Wren Jr, David and Brett Miller, they're some of my
favourites. Also Dave Palone. You can't argue with success, he's
been a driving champion at his track for 20+ years. He's real
tough. To be able to race with guys like that every day and call them
your friends, it's an awesome experience. I'm happy to race against them.

Which is your favourite track in
the USA, and why?

Pocono [Downs], just because
speed carries. It's a very, very, very fast track. I'm more on the
aggressive side as a driver and you can be aggressive there, the horses can
keep going. The Meadows has made me a better driver over the years
though. You can't pull them early, you've gotta take care of the horse so
it makes you more patient. Pocono is a very nice track but the Meadows
has made me a better driver for sure.

If you could change one thing
about the sport in US, what would it be?

People who don't appreciate what
they do for a living. They take it for granted. After coming here
[Portmarnock], it's such a difference. It's sad that people back home
don't appreciate it.

I'd also like to be able to talk
to the fans more, I think our governing body should be more open with the fans
and the gamblers to tell them about things, about decisions that are
made. We don't educate our public enough.

In your opinion, what is the
biggest difference between racing in the UK and Ireland and America?

Third row draws, that's new to
me. I've never seen that before in the US. Even having more than
two trailers [on the second line]. Being drawn nine on the third row,
that doesn't happen. It's a tight track here [Portmarnock], there's not
much room compared to back home.

How much do you consider
information from a trainer when you drive?

Depends who the trainer is.
I drive so many horses and I'm in races with a lot of horses as well, so I know
them. If it's a new horse then I usually ask two questions: are they good
behind the gate, and are they good-gaited. Sometimes people volunteer
information. I don't really ask if they're good behind the gate anymore
actually because I just send them out the gate!! You get to know the
horses so that helps a lot. You begin to know the drivers as well.
I usually read the race programme as well so there's some information in there,
just before the race though not at home. That's about it.

Out of all the races you have
won, which has been the most memorable?

My first win, it's where it
started. There's been a lot in between but when you first start driving,
your anxiety or fear or nervousness is there because you haven't won a race.
When you win you know you're capable of actually winning races. I like
winning so I like all of my wins. But the first...that's what made me
think 'I can do this, let's keep doing this'.

Which race that you haven't won
would you like to win, and why?

Hmmmm. The Hambletonian, the
biggest reason because it's been dominated by much of the same connections over
the years. I would love to bring back a Hambletonian to the Midwest/Ohio. On
the pacing side of course it would be the Little Brown Jug.

How would you describe your
racing style?

Very, very aggressive!

Where do you see yourself in the
sport 10 years from now?

Ideally I'll be driving,
hopefully being as successful as I am now. But possibly slowing down
some, maybe not travelling as much. Then I could train some. If my
golf game hit a miracle then I'll become a pro golfer! But something
within the sport, I just love the breed.

Have you ever competed in the
WDC?

No, but I want to. It would
be an unbelievable honour. It would be phenomenal. It was in the
USA back when I was a groom for my father; a French driver actually won it on a
horse that I was a groom for.

What are your hobbies/interests
outside of racing?

Spending time with family and
friends. I race an awful lot so I don't have that opportunity much.
I really like to swim or play golf, shoot hoops with my son, go out and get
dinner.

If you could visit one place in
the world, where would it be and why?

Australia. It looks
beautiful there. And New Zealand. It would be a really long plane
ride but I would love the opportunity to go to both of those places.

You're stranded on a desert
island - what five things can't you live without?

(After we'd established that
we were excluding people and just taking inanimate objects...)

I would go to the vaults of
casinos and take all the money because they take everyone's money!!

If you won the lottery, what
would be the first thing you would spend your winnings on?

I’d give a lot away to my
family. I wouldn’t change a whole lot. I would pay any bills I owe
and make sure my family’s taken care of.

What would you name your
autobiography?

Resilient.

Which actor would play you in a
film about your life?

They couldn't make a film about
my life first of all, they would have trouble! But if I had to pick,
Kevin Hart, he's comedic.

When was the last time you got
into trouble?

My girlfriend Tessa shouts at me,
she thinks I'm in trouble a lot. I got arrested for the first time in my
life last year. I had a suspended licence because I'd gotten a lot of
speeding tickets. I didn't realise I had to reinstate it, I thought it
did that automatically. So I got cuffed and stuffed for it. It was
just a few hours though

Describe yourself in three words.

Friendly, fun, eccentric.

My number 1 fan!!

I defy any of you who have read
this not to have laughed out loud at some point. Not only did I laugh
like a crazy person whilst holed up in the back of Porterstown Stud's lorry
doing this interview, I've also sat here tonight in my living room and laughed
out loud again like a crazy person.

THANK YOU Aaron for taking time
out of your day on Sunday at the track to answer the questions. I totally
forgot to congratulate you on your win with Porterstown Road all of five
minutes before the above happened as well!

Driving Porterstown Road to victory in the FFA at Portmarnock (Graham Rees photo)

Celebrating the win in Ireland with the family (Tessa Koran photo)

I don't know where I go from
here. The 'An interview with...' series is officially back in hibernation
until I come up with my next epic idea. It'll take a lot to top the last
two in the series.

As for my usual posts, they will
resume shortly. There was a whole weekend of fun in Portmarnock that I
need to put into words...if that is even possible. But for now, I'm
heading to Tir Prince, north Wales, to cheer on Stoneriggs Mystery in the Crock
of Gold Final tonight. I'll be trying to get a slice of Pinno's 2/1 about
the old horse before the draw. Then I'm hitting up Bells Field on Sunday
for the first time with the dog and horse in tow. Busy weekend ahead!!

Thursday, 18 August 2016

For those
of you who follow my blog religiously (and for my own distorted sense of
self-purpose, I have to believe that there at least some of you who do,
otherwise I'm just talking to thin air), you will recognise the format of the
following post from the series entitled 'An interview with...' which I posted
on a weekly basis during the winter

To any newcomers (particularly in the Southern Hemisphere, which is a 'market'
I'm hoping to branch out into) - WELCOME! You've just stumbled upon the
ramblings of a slightly crazy person who is totally passionate about harness
racing, not just involving my own horses and at my local track, but across the
rest of the UK and Ireland and indeed the wider world. If you find
yourself forcibly bedbound for a long period of time, or imprisoned by the
state/your overbearing parents/in somebody's basement (but with access to the
internet), feel free to go back to the beginning and read all about my
adventures with the Moose, Big Ears, Smarty and the gang. If not, don't
worry about it. I know the curiosity will get you eventually.

In this particular post, I took the opportunity during a four and a half hour
car journey from Edinburgh to Tir Prince to interview the man who currently
holds the title of 'World Driving Champion': Dexter Dunn. The 26-year-old
is New Zealand's leading driver, having driven 200+ winners in a season on five
separate occasions, including the last three consecutive seasons. His
cousin, friend, and 'favourite' trainer to drive for, Tom Bagrie, assured me
that Dexter is a solid 80 winning drives clear of his nearest rival.
Something to brag about you'd think, but in the time we spent with Dexter it
became apparent that although confident and competitive, he's also pretty
modest about his achievements. That in itself is a good enough reason for
me to like the guy.

For anybody who doesn't know you, how long have you been involved in the
sport and where did it all start?

I've been
involved in the sport my whole life, I was brought up with my father [Robert
Dunn] training horses. He still trains, with my older brother Johnny
the driver for his stable. I'm basically his second choice driver

We had horses when I was a child, and then for a spell we didn't and that
didn't bother me. But then my dad got back into it and one day when I was
about 11 or 12 he needed to take two horses to the beach to work out so he
asked me to come along and help. It was a day off school, but from that
moment I was hooked. That was the point at which I gave up my hopes of
becoming an All Black and decided I wanted to be a driver.

I started driving when I was 17 so I've been racing for the last 10
years. I was second in my first race but managed to win on my tenth
drive.

Which is
the best horse you've ever driven?

Christen
Me [Christian Cullen (NZ)-Splendid Dreams (NZ)-Dreamaway (USA)].
Just for his ability. He's won over NZ $2 million. He raced twice
at 2, then raced late at 3 and won six from six. At 4 he won six Group 1
races. Two seasons ago he won NZ $1 million in a season. He holds 3
New Zealand records, went 1.50.4 at 4 and his record is 1.49.1. He's just
unbelieveably quick.

Which
horse, past or present that you haven't driven, would you like to drive and
why?

Adore Me
[Bettors Delight (USA)-Scuse Me (NZ)-B Gs Bunny (USA)] – because she was
a freak. I drove against her and she smashed me all the time.

Adore Me is the fastest pacer outside of North America; as the Australasian
mile record holder in 1.47.7, she amassed earnings of over NZ $1.6 million with
12 Group 1 wins to her name.

Do you
prefer driving trotters or pacers?

I like
driving pacers but to sit behind a really nice going trotter is a really nice
feeling. You just can't beat the feeling of driving a beautifully-gaited
trotter. That said, pacers go faster and are more reliable.

Who did,
or do, you admire as a driver?

New
Zealand driver Tony Herlihy – aka the Iceman, because he is! I watched
him when I first started out, he sits so still in the cart. He's based on
the North Island whereas I'm based on the South Island, but I've driven against
him lots now.

Tony Herlihy has driven over 2000 winners and won almost every major harness
racing event.

Which is
your favourite track in New Zealand, and why?

Addington
Raceway, Christchurch. It's close to home and it's actually a really good
track. It's 1200m so approximately three quarters of a mile. It's
one of the fairest tracks and it stages the New Zealand Cup Day, which is
huge. It attracts around 20,000 people for that event.

If you
could change one thing about the sport in New Zealand, what would it be?

More
prize money!

No seriously, I'd like to see better handicapping. Quite often at home
horses win 1/2/3/4 races and then they can't win anymore because our
handicapper doesn’t really allow for them to continue being competitive, so we
sell them to Australia. In Australia they have so much racing and so many
different places to race that they can always find horses to suit a
class. They also have a better system.

In your
opinion, what is the biggest difference between racing in the UK and Ireland
and New Zealand?

Field
sizes – in New Zealand it's a maximum of 14 on all-weather track and 16 on
grass. It might actually be 18 on the grass... (at which point Dexter
and Tom descended into a debate about the maximum number, and then Tom wapped
his phone out and showed me a video of his first training win with D D
Trotter, driven by Dexter, in a field of what looked like 200 trotters
racing on a bowling green. Grass track promoters in the UK, take
note. Some of our fields aren't good enough!)

Is there
anything about racing in the UK and Ireland that you would take back into
Southern Hemisphere racing?

The
culture! The sport in New Zealand is very professional, the general
culture of the sport is also quite good but it’s divided into smaller groups
rather than one big group.

How much
do you consider information from a trainer when you drive?

1% (Tom
says 0%).

No
seriously, if I haven’t driven a horse before then quite a lot; but if I drive
a horse all the time, if the trainer says it’s working good than that’s all I
need to know. If you’re driving it all the time you know yourself how the
horse is going.

Out of
all the races you have won, which has been the most memorable? Which race
would you like to win that you haven't already?

The most
memorable would be The Miracle Mile in Australia. I won it in 2014 with
Christen Me. It's worth A$750,000.

The race
I would love to win would be The New Zealand Cup. I reckon I’ve drive in
it 7 times and the best I've been is second. I was beaten by 1/2L, I got
knocked on the straight...it was worth a million dollars that year as well!

Twice.
I won it in Australia in 2015 which makes me the reigning Champion; I also
drove in America in 2011 as well. I'm heading to Canada in 2017 to defend
my title.

What are
your hobbies/interests outside of racing?

I play
rugby, just socially. I'm a fan of the All Blacks and the Canterbury
Crusaders. My favourite player has to be Dan Carter. I also like
skiing. I'm pretty good, like I don’t fall over! But both of those
are just hobbies. I'm really competitive and I hate losing, so that shows
in my hobbies as well.

If you
could visit one place in the world, where would it be and why?

Switzerland,
because the girls I’ve seen so far from Swizterland are pretty good.

Actually,
Sweden, for the Elitloppet AND the girls!

You're
stranded on a desert island - what five things can't you live without?

Rum,
coffee, smokes, a TV and Scarlett Johansson.

You're
holding a dinner party for five famous guests (alive or dead) - who would they
be?

I'd sneak
into the All Blacks changing room to hear the behind-the-scenes team talk. (Or
see them naked. Whatever, Smarty and me won't judge. And we both
thought you protested a little too much at that suggestion even in light of the
Scarlett Johansson obsession...).

If you
won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would spend your winnings
on?

A year
long holiday with my friends and a yacht to travel around on during that year long
holiday.

What
would you name your autobiography?

Double
D. It's my nickname; everyone just started calling me it.

Which
actor would play you in a film about your life?

Leonardo
DiCaprio.

When was
the last time you got into trouble?

Last
Tuesday at Tir Prince (August 2nd, Breeders Crown night), using my whip
too much or something (our whip rules are as confusing for the
rulebook-studying Smarty as they are for you pal).

Describe
yourself in three words.

Competitive,
friendly, nightowl.

Thank you, Double D, for the charming and enlightening interview. At
times during the journey it was easy to forget that Dexter is a superstar, not
only in his home country and the Southern Hemisphere, but across the
globe. He's exceptionally laid back and takes an interest in what others
have to say, even when it's potentially total rubbish (a lot of what I say
is). When we arrived at our destination, I would have forgiven him for
taking his bags and heading for the hills, never to be seen again by Smarty and
I. Instead, we spent time with both Dexter and Tom in Ireland last
weekend for the VDM, and I'd like to think that we'll see them again in the
future, once I convince Smarty that a trip to New Zealand for Cup week was in
fact his ingenious idea.

A double on August 9th, winning with Lyons Eryl Hall (Graham Rees photo)

Before I
sign off, I appreciate that Dexter is the focal point of this post and indeed
the main celebrity to visit the UK and Irish racing scene from NZ, but I would
just like to take a minute to expand further on this character 'Tom', whose
input in the above interview was actually far greater than I have been able to
portray. Tom is a celebrity in his own right; my new publicist (he was
lucky if he read half a post on my blog before telling Heather Vitale I was an
amazing blogger - I could have actually pushed you off your bar stool) and
advocate of my now world-famous sandwiches!

So for
the benefit of anyone reading this who doesn't know who Tom is, he's a young
trainer who, at the time of notching up his first winner (D D Trotter,
driven by Dexter), has trained one winner, one second and one third from
nine training starts. He's also as mad as a box of frogs which is why I
thought he was an absolute delight to spend time with!

Tom and D D Trotter

Thank you
both, again, for being such sports and for making the time fly on our
journey. I sincerely hope this won't be the last time we meet.